


Like watery ink on paper

by Aoshika_October



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Geisha, Drama & Romance, Eames loves him anyway, Eventual Happy Ending, Historical Inaccuracy, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Temporarily Unrequited Love, arthur is a jerk, cultural inaccuracy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-08 11:03:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21474961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoshika_October/pseuds/Aoshika_October
Summary: Arthur is a young, ambitious maiko that wishes to be the greatest Geisha in Gion someday, and to achieve that, he's got the support of Dom and Mal, the owners of the okija where he lives, Robert, his mentor, and Saito, their millionaire businessman protector.When he mets Saito's new colleage, Lord Eames, an obnoxious, yet inffuriately charming Brittish, his whole world seems to give a turn in a completely different direction from what he originally had planned.Based loosely on the novel Memoirs of a Geisha, set in a world where male geishas exist and marriage between two man or woman is not uncommon.
Relationships: Arthur & Eames (Inception), Arthur/Eames (Inception), Dom Cobb/Mal Cobb
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	1. A strong wind

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
I'm new on this fandom, I just saw Inception some months ago and since then I haven't been able to stop thinking about Eames and Arthur's dynamics and tension during the movie. I was reading Memoirs of a Geisha and suddenly this happened. 
> 
> This story will be extremely self indulgent so don't expect much accuracy begining with the fact that Arthur is a male geisha.
> 
> I must warn you that English is not my native language, so if you have any suggestions for me I will gladly take them into account. 
> 
> Some definitions for you if you aren't familiar with the source material:
> 
> Maiko: a geisha apprentice. A maiko becomes a geisha after their mizuage.  
Mizuage: loss of virginity, usually sold through a bidding war.  
Shamisen: a three stringed musical instrument also known as a Japanesse guitar.  
Okija: is a house where a family of geishas lives.  
Danna: is a geisha's "lover", kind of a protector and financial supporter that in exchange receives a geisha's exclusive attention. For this story, it would be something aking to a husband.  
More to be added.
> 
> I hope you like this fic!

Of all the maiko and geisha you could meet at Gion, a big, prosperous district full of beauty and light, there was a young maiko that was specially known and admired, something uncommon for someone so young and who was not even officially a geisha yet.

Arthur, young maiko of the house of Cobb, was, as many of others, beautiful and graceful. His face pale and delicate as the feathers of a dove, his hair black, curled and soft as tinted silk, his eyes dark and icy, but also full and alive, as if a hurricane was roaring inside them. He had learned to play shamisen, sing and dance perfectly at a very young age, he had read his good share of classic literature and his mind was sharp and determined.

But even if he was beautiful and talented, his personality was what acted as a magnet, making people want him even more than some older, more experienced geishas. Arthur wasn’t like them and maybe that was what made men desire him: Arthur was precise, almost cold in his actions, he always had a witty response, even to an insult, and his smile was as dangerous as it was charming. He was a challenge, and all men like to be challenged by something as beautiful as him. Robert, Arthur’s “older brother”, encouraged his usually distant and almost emotionless behavior, convinced that a single look of Arthur’s smile could bring any of his admirers to their feet- but they needed to know that those smiles were to be earned. They had business to complete, included Arthur’s mizuage, and his unexpected rise to fame was what Robert had been waiting for to secure both of their statuses in Gion, a geisha district where competition was a rule, not an option.

Arthur lived in the okija Cobb, being Dominic Cobb the administrator and owner, and his wife, Mallorie, a retired geisha, the first mentor of the maikos that arrived to live with them.

Cobb was a rather handsome man that had inherited the okija when his own father had died. He had never been a geisha, instead focusing on studying to be an accountant and live in the city. When he came back after years of college education and met Mal, he decided that living in Gion was his destiny. The okija was, after all, the family business, and if he could be of help in Gion he would stay.

Mallorie was a prolific geisha that lived in the okija Cobb since a little more of a year after Dom had gone to college. She was really beautiful and elegant, and she was also of an exquisite intelligence that allowed her to turn even the dullest of parties into interesting debates and games of wits between guests and her or other geishas. She was charming and strong, and she could have been the best geisha at Gion, but when she met Dom, she decided there and then that was it for her. Dom became her danna, and she retired when she learned she was pregnant from their first child.

After that, they managed the okija together, and prided themselves on having good eyes to identify talented kids to be geishas someday.

Robert had been one of them, but he had earned his independence with the payment of his mizuage. He was in good terms with the Cobbs, and when he met Arthur he had come to the conclusion that he was someone who was worth his time, so he became his “older brother” in order to improve his education and help him get to the next level. Even if he was a successful geisha by his own right, helping to mentor another successful geisha would only help to cement his own status. Besides, he and Arthur were quite similar in their cold disposition and pristine beauty. They were both men of few words and quick understanding. Sometimes, only exchanging looks was enough to understand each other. The great difference between them was that, while Robert tended to be accommodating and conciliatory, gentle and sweet, Arthur was hard as steel, stubborn, and unforgiving. Robert knew how to take advantage of his looks and personality, but he also knew that there was a limit and tried constantly to keep Arthur from crossing it.

The Cobbs were good people. Arthur had come to live with them only two years before, being then sixteen and already well versed in the arts of being a maiko. The okija where he lived before had been accidentally burned down and its owner couldn’t keep the business going. Arthur would have been forced to go and work in the fields if not for his own stubbornness. He had stood in front of the okija from dawn to dusk on a rainy day, refusing to go, to eat or rest, until Dom had accepted to talk to him. Mal had come to see what was happening, and had felt astonished with Arthur, his face, his elegance in spite of his wet, pitiful appearance, the determination in his eyes. She had come closer to him, taking his chin in her hand and looking into his eyes.

“He’s got so much earth on him. He will be loyal and he will work hard. I think it would be wise to keep him, my dear”.

“His previous okija burned down”, opposed Dom, looking between the young maiko and his wife “he’s got fire in him too, don’t you see him? I’m not sure if I want to risk it”.

“This okija will not burn down. And I will be the best geisha that’s ever worked for you. Try me”,

Cobb had to admit, Arthur was steady as a rock. Finally, he surrendered to his wife and their new acquisition, and Arthur started living with them since, devoting himself to his studies and his activities with Robert, with his mind focused on becoming a geisha.

Mal and Dom had two beautiful kids, and by the time Arthur joined them, they had another young maiko living with them: Ariadne, a short and gorgeous girl that was two years younger than Arthur and played the shamisen like an expert at her young age. She had a round and unblemished face, rounded, pink lips, and was good with her hands but not with her legs; while she could perfectly perform a fan dance with her hands, she struggled to learn the moves needed for her feet, but other than that, she was hard working and talented.

He really liked his new home and family, but despite that, Arthur never talked much about his past. He had just told Mal and Dom that his parents had died when he was little and, not being able to keep him, his old uncle had taken him to Gion and sold him to his first okija.

He never said, for example, how old he was when this happened, how he was treated by the rest of his family when he became an orphan, but one thing was sure, he didn’t want to go back to the fields, he didn’t want to go back to his old life.

.

.

.

Saito san was an old friend of Dom, and he often requested him to send Arthur and Robert to his reunions at his favorite teahouse. Everyone in Gion knew he was a powerful businessman, owner of the biggest energy enterprise in the country, and being under his protection made the okija, and Arthur and Robert by extension, even more renowned and respected in the district. Saito had a special affection for Robert and his beautiful, sharp features and his clever mind. He often said that talking to him was like talking to a colleague, but nicer (lovelier), and often told people about _that_ one time when one advice from him had saved him millions. Robert always had the good grace to smile and be modest about this particular anecdote.

Arthur didn’t smile that often, and even when he did, his smiles rarely reached his eyes and he almost never raised his face when he talked. Robert had told him once that it was one of his best traits; he could attract people with his silences, with his absence, with his mystery. Men loved mystery. Men loved to be challenged and Arthur was a challenge all around, a beautiful challenge. So far, no one had earned from him a sincere smile or a longer span of attention than what he could need to serve a cup of tea.

“Oh, don’t busy your pretty hands with that, darling, I’ll do it myself”.

Arthur was so confused by these words that he looked up quickly and fixed his eyes on the man that had spoken to him. Nobody had ever asked him to stop serving tea, much less offered to do it instead of him. Arthur was not the only one that was surprised by this, Saito san, for example, had his brows raised almost to his scalp. At his side, Robert had stopped serving him tea, and was now watching the foreign man who was still looking Arthur placidly, with a little catlike smile on his face.

His skin was tanned and his hair was of a dark blonde, like honey, his eyes an indistinguishable shade between grey and green. He had broad shoulders and a thick neck. His lips were full and luscious. He wore a yukata that looked like he just got up and grabbed the first thing he had found and put it on. His attitude, despite his unkempt looks, was confident and mischievous, and this alone was enough reason to make Arthur feel irritated towards him.

Arthur recovered as fast as he could and continued his activity as if nothing had happened.

“You would be taking my job from me, sir”, he answered as lightly as he could, “my hands won’t be this pretty if I have to go and work in the fields”.

This answer earned him a chuckle from the man, and the mood on the table felt lighter almost immediately.

“You’ll have to excuse Lord Eames”, Saito san said, pressing his hand on the shoulder of is companion. “He just arrived from England, and he is not used to our customs yet. In fact, since he will be working with me for a long time, I invited him here so he could taste our tea and meet you, dear Robert, Arthur”.

“Mmmh, Arthur…” Arthur was shocked to hear that deep voice calling his name as if it was some kind of candy he had to taste carefully, rolling every letter on his tongue, “that’s a lovely name, pet”.

“Thank you, Eames san”, Arthur answered, composing his face into its most neutral appearance.

“Please, darling, just Eames”.

“Please, Eames, just _Arthur_”.

“I have to say”, Robert intervened, knowing his little brother was about to lose his temper with this way too forward man, “the use of honorifics is not optional, Eames san, since we don’t know you so well. You may find you don’t like us that much and then you will not be able to forbid us to be familiar with you”.

“I doubt that could ever happen, dear”, his answer was directed at Robert’s commentary, but his eyes were still glued to Arthur.

Eventually, Lord Eames turned his attention on Saito and the rest of the guests that accompanied them that night while Robert and Arthur served tea and told stories with them.

To Arthur’s discomfort, he found that Lord Eames kept turning to look at him, finally sharing his own stories- naughty, licentious stories that Arthur was sure he was somehow directing to him. When he and Robert said their goodbyes, Lord Eames stood up in front of him, took Arthur’s hand in his and, to Arthur’s horror, he kissed his knuckles, looking deeply into his eyes. The other men at the table, Saito san included, laughed nervously, looking each other, obviously as astonished by his actions as Arthur was.

Robert took Arthur by the arm and took him outside the teahouse. They rushed to the okija and Robert sent Arthur to sleep, going into Dom’s office without saying anything else to him.

.

.

.

Arthur couldn’t sleep, thinking of what had happened. It was close to midnight when he rushed to the patio, retrieved a bucket of water from the well and scrubbed his hand until it was red and itching, trying to get rid of the sensation of Lord Eames’ lips against his skin. 


	2. The lead role

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur has many goals in his life, and he will not let Eames just crash into them...

A couple of days later, they were walking with Saito san through a bridge surrounded with trees. It was a nice morning, there was a fresh breeze that brought the smell of flowers to them and the sun was gentle against their skins.

“Arthur san, I had a talk with Lord Eames about our encounter the other day, and he told me to ask for your forgiveness on his behalf” Saito san petted Robert’s hand, which was now hooked around his elbow as if trying to reassure him. Even when Saito was talking to Arthur, as Arthur’s brother, every aspect concerning him was to be assessed also by Robert, including his possible discomfort. “He’s alien to our customs, but he wishes to learn. He may be a little… irritating, when you first meet him, but I assure you he means well, and it wasn’t his intention to make you feel uncomfortable”.

Arthur smiled and nodded slightly, “If he’s your friend, Saito san, I’m sure he must be a good man. You would not keep his company if you didn’t trust him, that’s why it didn’t bother me at all”. Even if he was lying, Arthur supposed it was worth Saito’s satisfaction.

“I’m glad to know that, dear Arthur. Now, Robert san, I wanted to ask for your opinion on some purchases I’m about to do, new equipment for the company and my offices…”

.

.

.

Everyday, Arthur went to his classes. At his age he had already learned how to play the shamisen, dance, tell stories and sing properly, how to give maintenance to his instruments and tools and how to prepare himself, all from how to care for his kimonos to how to do his delicate make up, but a geisha’s education never truly ended. Besides, it was there where he could improve his skills constantly and where he would be selected to perform in the theatre.

Robert had been moving his influences to make sure that Arthur would have, if not the lead role, at least one of the most important roles in the next great play. Arthur was already a famous maiko at Gion, but to sell his mizuage at the price they needed, Arthur needed to be _irresistible_, _unreachable_, _impossible_, and nothing better than to give a great performance in front of hundreds of people that would admire him and desire him to accomplish that.

“You are going to be the warrior, Arthur”, Ariadne was sitting in the corridor, playing the shamisen while Arthur danced the part, her fingers itching from spending hours playing the same melody time and time again, “your moves are perfect, you look great, I don’t know why do you worry so much”.

“You don’t understand because you are not in my position” even while talking to Ariadne, Arthur’s movements were perfect, not forgetting a single part of the choreography. “My debt with Dom and Mal is bigger than yours, and besides, the fire delayed me by months. My mizuage must have been sold last year, not just now”.

The dance was delicate, yet fierce. Arthur’s moves were precise, with the perfect dynamics of force and vulnerability, ferocity and helplessness. His mentors had told him to correct some minor details, but obviously he wouldn’t leave it until he had make sure every movement had been practiced to perfection.

Arthur was passionate, centered and determined. His goal right now was to be free of the debt he had acquired with the Cobs when he asked them to take him, but, since he was little, his desires in life were very clear to him, and nothing was going to stop him to achieve what he really wanted.

“Please, you are just two years older than me, you’ll make me feel like I’m delayed too” Ariadne said playfully, earning a sharp glare from her friend, “besides, think about it, you are a desired maiko, your mizuage may be enough to earn your independence. Then, everything that has happened to you until now is going to be worth it”.

Arthur finally let himself relax, his face softening, thinking about it. Ariadne was right, and Arthur just needed to be patient.

He looked at her and helped get up and took the shamisen from her stiff hands.

“You want me to prepare you some miso soup and rice cakes? As a thank you for your help”.

“Well Arthur, I didn’t expect less!”.

.

.

.

Two weeks had passed and, one night, Arthur and Robert were asked to attend a reunion with Saito san and his colleagues again. Arthur wore his favorite kimono, a beautiful, deep turquoise piece with an embroidery that depicted a school of fish in a river that flowed through rounded stones. The stones turned into yellow flowers that adorned the hem the kimono. Mal always said that kimono in particular brought up Arthur’s eyes, and encouraged him to use it when they knew there was a chance of having more people to look at him. Being with Saito san in his favorite teahouse was one of those chances.

He and Robert were kneeling beside the guests, serving tea and smiling discretely at their jokes, when a servant slid open the door at the side of the room and rushed steps interrupted the calmness.

“Sorry I’m late, my driver messed up and we ended up somewhere at the other side of the dist…”

Lord Eames looked disheveled but relaxed, and he walked towards them as if he owned the teahouse, and Arthur had thought he was about to make up some hard-to-believe excuse for his tardiness, but he had stopped his own speech and was now looking at the young maiko, his mouth open, with sudden sparks in his eyes.

“Darling!”, Arthur didn’t have time to respond, as Lord Eames kneeled, taking the free spot beside him and holding his hand between his, “You look ravishing tonight. I must say, my heart is already yours, but now I have to steal it back and then give it to you again ten times just to make you justice. My goodness, look at you…”

Arthur didn’t know how to react to this heated attentions, and instead of doing anything he stayed where he was, kneeling in front of the man and allowing him to fuss over him.

“Lord Eames, I think we had already discussed this”, Saito intervened, placing a hand softly on his shoulder with a warning squeeze. Eames san just laughed.

“I am genuinely sorry; I just couldn’t resist. Let me just…” he began searching into his robes, until he produced a wooden box, wide as both his hands but flat, no more than one inch tall. He presented it to Arthur, expecting him to take it from him.

Arthur still didn’t move, looking alternatively between the box and Eames san, who was now showing a big smile… he looked so sweet Arthur couldn’t believe it was possible, there was no way this man could look sweet after all the dirty jokes and innuendos Arthur had heard from him only a couple of weeks ago.

“Go ahead, darling, it’s for you”.

Arthur was used to be given gifts from time to time, but they were rarely handed to him with so much candor and expectancy. Usually he received candies and trinkets that he could get rid of later with none the wiser. This didn’t seem the case.

He knew he was being observed, by Saito san, his colleagues, by Robert and the other geishas at the teahouse, but more than anyone, by Eames san. So he opened the box.

Inside there was a beautiful, delicate circlet made with three wires of gold, weaved on circular patterns around a little emerald at the center. Arthur didn’t know what to do with it, and he just gaped and looked at Eames’ face.

“I…”

What was he supposed to do? He was expected to be obliging and gentle towards his patrons, but he couldn’t just accept this… it was like a crown. A geisha couldn’t have a crown, it was dishonorable, it was a total disrespect for their country, for their governors, for…

“This is just a little family inheritance I’ve got since I was a little kid. I thought it would look pretty in your beautiful head…”

“If it’s important to your family you shouldn’t give it to me, Eames san”, he protested thinking he had found an outlet, but Eames smiled even wider and pressed the box against him.

“Such a respectful darling”, there was affection in his eyes, and a hint of amusement that Arthur couldn’t just ignore. Was this a trap? Was Eames san mocking him now? What would happen if he dared to take the gift from him, would he be so cruel to laugh at him and call him a fool? Maybe this jewel was no jewel at all, maybe it was just one of those trinkets and Arthur was being naïve and innocent to believe someone could gift him something so valuable. But Eames san didn’t seem to be laughing when he pressed again: “this circlet is mine, and I will give it to anyone I want to”.

One of the other geishas approached them to kneel beside Arthur, took the circlet in her hands and gracefully placed it on Arthur’s head. The embroiled emerald sat nicely at the center of Arthur’s forehead. Arthur could swear it burned his skin.

“You are… perfect, darling…” Eames was looking at him, adoring and warm, his voice heated by obvious desire. The atmosphere was heavy, and Arthur was trembling with impotency.

Behind him, he could hear the geishas giggling, and anyone would have thought they were just enjoying to witness a sweet moment, but Arthur knew better: they were laughing at him. This was completely against decorum and Arthur shouldn’t be letting a man coming so close to him, but he couldn’t avoid Eames’ advances without at the same time going against everything he knew to be correct.

Eames san seemed to be waiting for Arthur to say something, anything, while all that Arthur wanted was to take the circlet from his head and throw it at his face with all the force he could muster in his arm.

Robert appeared at Arthur’s side as a breeze that allowed him to take a breath.

“You must forgive my little brother, Eames san. He’s young and unaccustomed to receive such beautiful gifts. I assure you he is grateful”.

It was not the first time that Arthur desired with all his heart that Robert’s beauty was enough to distract the attention to everyone towards him and forget about his little brother for a while.

Eames didn’t even look at him.

“He shouldn’t be. This isn’t enough to make justice to his beauty, and I feel but a thief looking at him without paying due respects”.

Arthur locked eyes with him and finally, let show a little smile that, as always, didn’t reach his eyes.

“Thank you, Eames san, but I do not see myself worthy of your admiration”.

With this, he stood up, bowed, and Robert followed him, explaining that they had another little party to attend that night.

As soon as they were outside the teahouse, Arthur took the circlet off his head and put it back in its box.

Once he was back in the okija and in his room, he threw the box against the nearest wall.

.

.

.

The next day, as he expected, he was summoned to talk with Dom, Mal and Robert.

There were already rumors about the foreigner that now frequented Saito’s group and his apparent fascination with Gion’s most renowned maiko. Arthur needed to protect his reputation at all costs. If word expanded about Arthur having such close relationship with a man before his mizuage, all of Robert and Dom’s plans would go to waste.

“I don’t even like him!”, Arthur defended, feeling like a scolded child, “I’ve not given him reason to think I’m attracted to him in any form, Robert can tell you”.

Dom looked at Robert, and Robert nodded firmly.

“I was there and I can tell you, Arthur’s been the same towards him as he is with any man. Besides, Eames san’s customs are very different from ours. I’ve heard that, in his country, heated displays of interest and affection are to be expected from a suitor”, at this point, Robert hesitated for a second, but finally seemed to decide on carry on with what he was about to say: “maybe Eames san is just… infatuated with Arthur. Maybe if Arthur doesn’t pay him any attention, he will lose interest”.

Dom nodded, looking at a big calendar sitting on his desk. He signaled a date with red paint. The date they would start receiving offers for Arthur’s mizuage.

“In the meantime, I believe the only thing you can do is avoid Saito’s invitations, at least until Arthur’s mizuage is sold”.

“I don’t think that’s a good option, dear”, Mal touched Dom’s arm with her long, elegant fingers, “one of the possible bidders for Arthur’s mizuage is one of Saito’s colleagues. Besides, if Arthur avoids Eames san, other people may take it as an overcorrection and it would be suspicious. Arthur needs to keep acting as if nothing happened”.

“What if Arthur invites him to bid for his mizuage too?”

Mal shook her head at Robert’s idea.

“No, if there’s already interest in Saito san’s circle it could cause problems. In order to keep harmony within the group, one of them, or in the worst case both of them, would feel obligated to withdraw from the bidding and the last offer would be lower than we expect. The only way I see is that Arthur continues to gift this Lord Eames with his elusive company, always remembering to keep good distance, my dear”.

Arthur nodded silently, knowing that it was easier said than done. Tipsy businessmen and spoiled geishas he knew how to deal with, but he had decided, with only two encounters needed, that Lord Eames was a shot in the dark. The only thing he could think for sure was that the man would keep appearing in his life and Arthur wouldn’t be able to do much more than stomach him and trying not to compromise himself, at least until his status as a geisha was safe. 

.

.

.

Days passed and Arthur was unable to shake Lord Eames from his mind, and the situation was taking a toll on his performance. Even Ariadne was worried with the mistakes he was making while dancing, as if he had just learned the moves in a hurry.

“Arthur!”, she admonished an umpteenth time when he failed yet again to do properly a throwing of fans. It was such a basic move that Ariadne just could not believe Arthur wasn’t able to do it. Arthur was frustrated and it was obvious, but what had made him feel like that she couldn’t understand.

Arthur just picked up his fan and started again, but he was conscious that he was making mistakes that were not justified at that moment.

And even if he knew what was causing him to fail time and time again, he decided he would not give voice to the idea, he would not admit that someone like that person could have such power over him. Arthur was his own person, he would not let anyone just enter his head against his will, much less such an obnoxious, irritating man.

.

.

.

Arthur lost count of every mistake he committed while performing in front of his mentors, but at the end, Robert accompanied him outside, and he began talking when they as much as crossed the doors. Arthur was expecting a scolding for his multiple errors, but Robert was looking him with a mix of surprise and excitement on his face.

“I don’t know how you did it”, he said with a little smile, “but you danced with more passion today than any other performance I’ve seen you in. Arthur… that was incredible”.

“But I made so many mistakes…”

“No one noticed”. Arthur must have had a weird expression because Robert smiled soothingly at him: “all everyone saw was that you are going to get the lead role at this play and no one else can get that from you”.

Arthur didn’t believe him. Arthur was sure he had ruined everything, he had made everyone disappointed on him, after all the work Robert, Mal, Dom, Ariadne, his mentors had done for him…

And all just because he had let him mess with his head. All because he was thinking about him. No more. Never.

.

.

.

It turned out Robert was right. Two days later, Arthur was informed that he was going to be the warrior at the play, and the next day, when he was walking to school, he noticed the poster where he was depicted with the warrior’s costume (even if he hadn’t even tried it on yet) and his name listed as the lead role. His heart beat strong within his chest. He wanted to scream and to cry, but all he allowed himself was a small curl of the corners of his mouth before he continued his walk to school, where he was requested to go to the rehearsals immediately.

.

.

.

Some nights later, Saito san attended a party in which coincidentally Arthur and Robert where present. Seeing them, he greeted them with enthusiasm and congratulated Arthur on his lead role.

“I was walking with Eames san one morning and we saw the announcement on a wall. It certainly is a nice picture of you, Arthur san, and I would like you to know this”, he approached Arthur as if he was going to trust him with an important secret, “I was sure he was going to have a heart attack. You should have seen him, he tore the poster from the wall and pressed it to his chest as if it was a treasure. He rolled it and took it home with him, I have no doubt that he must have glued it beside his bed”.

Arthur tried to seem pleased at this, and for the sake of Saito san’s friendship he wished he did a good job, but certainly, he wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Eames san having a picture of him now.

“He was also bitterly sorry that, and I quote, he will not be able to be here lavishing you with affection and encouragement before your big night, since he has to attend some family matters back on England, but in spite of the journey being a long one, he will try to be back in time to see you and be there for you that night, because he knows that is when you will need him the most”.

Saito san seemed amused while repeating the words said by Eames san, and Arthur felt his cheeks flushing with embarrassment, but he tried to do his best pretending it was nothing.

And, really, it must have been nothing, because, what use could Arthur be to someone like Eames san? He surely could have anyone he liked, he didn’t need to woo Arthur, and Arthur wasn’t keen on let himself go jumping into someone’s arms just because of some pretty words and pompous behavior. If anything, it made Arthur suspicious, the sudden and exaggerated interest of Lord Eames on him.

He decided again, and with more conviction than before, he would not let Lord Eames make himself at home in his life, in his mind. Whatever it was that he wanted at Gion, he would have to search somewhere else, because he was not going to get anything from Arthur.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In process of finding and edit mistakes.  
Thanks for reading this chapter!


	3. The note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the performance, Arthur receives a message that he wasn't expecting.

The day of the play, Arthur was focused on giving the best performance he could. Everyone was excited and anxious for him, but now, Arthur was feeling confident that he was going to be perfect. He had rehearsed his choreography every day, focusing on each little detail to make sure that he would not make any mistakes, that people would see him and not see Arthur but the warrior he was supposed to be.

He had spent the day preparing for his performance. He showed up at the theater early for a final rehearsal, and later he headed to a bathhouse to be properly bathed in extent before going to the temple to make an offering to the Goddess. Robert had offered to go with him the day before, but Arthur had denied him, feeling that he had to do this for himself. In solitude and silence, he left some coins into the well, before making the bell ring three times. He prayed for good luck, for him to be able to perform the role properly and for everyone to see him. He prayed to make a big impression, and for this night to be the next step needed to ensure his place, and to earn, in the future, everything he ever wanted.

Arthur went back to the theater to dress up and to do his make up with enough time. For the first time in the two years he had taken part on these plays, he had his own room to prepare and to meditate while the public arrived. He was ready with his attire and mentally preparing himself.

Ten minutes before his performance, a young servant entered his room, handing him a piece of folded paper.

“Umh, excuse me, Arthur san. Someone asked me to bring you this message”.

“Who?”

“I… I don’t know who he is, I hadn’t seen him before, but he was with Saito san”.

Arthur had an awful feeling of knowing who had handed the message to this girl in the first place, but he didn’t ask anything else, and it was obvious that she wanted to go away as soon as possible, so Arthur dismissed her before he unfolded the piece of paper and read the message:

_Arthur darling:_

_I am sorry that I didn’t have the opportunity to be by your side on these undoubtedly stressful days. I hope with all my heart that you, my dove, with your magnanimous heart, will allow me to make it up to you. But before I have the pleasure to be near you again, I just want you to know I am convinced that you are going to be wonderful tonight, every move of your magnificent body is going to be perfect and you will captivate everyone that’ll see you. I will be very jealous knowing that I will not be the only one to testify your glory, but all the same, I feel proud knowing people will admire you, and once I can be with you again, I will show you my heart is forever yours. I can only hope that someday, at least a single one of your thoughts will be mine._

_All my love._

_Eames._

Arthur crumpled the paper between his fingers.

“Arthur san, it’s time”, another young servant called from the door, “please, come with me”.

He left the ball of paper in front of the mirror where he had been preparing, trying not to think about the message.

.

.

.

The Warrior, the character Arthur was playing, had a tragic story of sacrifices and love. He had been a peasant that had achieved glory going to war, coming back home only to find his lover long dead by some unknown illness. The Warrior, unable to stand the pain of his loss, runs from his home and begins searching, trying to convince himself that his lover is not dead, but lost. His madness makes him get lost in a forest, where he dies in a snow storm, where his love comes for him to be together in death.

Besides this being the lead role, Arthur enjoyed deeply to dance it: from the helpless, insecure moves of a young man unsure of his place on the world, to the sharp, defined, lethal dance of the warrior fighting, to the unstoppable rampage of madness of the crazed, disgraced over. Arthur enjoyed the tingle of his muscles and the feeling of conveying his emotions and feelings to the people who saw him.

But tonight, everything changed when Arthur remembered suddenly the letter sent to him by Lord Eames. He was now conscious of his presence between all the people that was now looking at him, and Arthur tried very hard not to think about it. But now, he was anxious, suddenly aware of being watched, and sure, it was a given, but right now it felt more real than ever.

Someone there was out to get him. Lord Eames had had the audacity to send him such an insolent note, as if Arthur was his, as if Arthur needed explanations, as if Arthur was a needy, clingy damsel waiting for Eames to rescue him.

The note. The note was left in the room where he had prepared. The note had his name, and Arthur had left it where anyone could find it. He was in a key moment of his career, anyone could find that note and use it against him, oh Goddess… no, no, no, no, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t be…

Suddenly, he felt hyper sensitive to everything, to the stares, to the whispers, to the music, to the cold chill of the night air on his skin. He wasn’t sure if he was hearing correctly, suddenly he was sure he had gone wrong on everything, and his legs trembled and he felt like he didn’t have any air left in his lungs.

During his mad run in the “forest” he tripped on his own feet and he found himself falling, and the only thing he could do about it was to make sure that he looked graceful enough to make it seem like it had been a calculated fall. He had heard a few gasps coming from the audience, but decided to ignore them as he got up and continued with his routine. For a moment, a dreadful moment, Arthur was sure he had ruined everything, the performance was a disaster, someone had surely found the note by now, and once Arthur stepped down the stage he would be disgraced, thrown to the other side of the district to become a worthless whore.

But he had no other thing to do but to continue, wishing his performance could drag on forever, or to drop dead by the end of it, at least to feel dignified in his own death.

But that didn’t happen.

What happened was that, by the end of his performance, the audience exploded in a roar of applause and acclaim, for him, only for him.

Arthur got up again when the stage went dark, walked to the wings and then back to his assigned room.

He found the note right where he had left it, and burned it down with the flame of one of the lamps that adorned the hallway on his way out of the theater.

.

.

.

After the play, there was a big party where the most important people of Gion were going to attend. Of course, Dom, Mal, Ariadne and Robert were going to be there, ready to celebrate Arthur’s big night.

As soon as Arthur arrived to the teahouse he was received with praise from every person he encountered; he had to travel down an extensive garden before he could reach his family so he was intercepted countless times through his walk.

“I’m so happy to see you, darling”, Arthur stopped abruptly, hearing that voice. Lord Eames stood before him with a wide, shining smile adorning his face, a hat clutched against his chest and wearing a formal, european-style attire that Arthur found to be extremely out of place. He knew people dressed differently in the country where Eames was from, but he hadn’t expected to see him wearing these clothes here, instead something like a kimono or even a yukata. Arthur then deduced that Lord Eames had just arrived from his journey and hadn’t had the time to change to more adequate clothes before arriving here.

“Eames san”, he said, bowing a little, not showing any enthusiasm that could be misunderstood by him.

“Arthur, my dear, you were brilliant”, he praised, warm and eager as ever, “I… I was hoping to catch you for a minute before your performance but I didn’t know if I could be on time… luckily I prepared the note beforehand, I knew anything could happen… did you received it? My note?”

“I did receive your note, Eames san”, before Eames san’s smile could split his face, Arthur decided that to be ruthless would be his best escape route, “I burned it a few minutes ago”.

Lord Eames’ expression fell for a split second before he composed himself, but the way his fingers whitened on his hat was reveling enough.

“May I ask…?”

“Such a passionate message would be detrimental on my reputation if it fell on wrong hands…” Arthur admonished, “it would have been risky just to keep it hidden”.

“But… did you like it?”.

“I… appreciate the sentiment”.

Arthur didn’t know what else to say, most of all because Lord Eames looked as if he was trying with all his might not to be so obviously heartbroken. Finally, he shook his head and tried to smile again.

“Well… it was just a silly note after all, nothing to be worried about… anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I think you were great… for moments I forgot how to breathe looking at you” he was trying for a response, but Arthur had decided not to give away any, “I… you… you were… perfect, my darling”.

“I already asked you not to call me that”.

Arthur didn’t even know where this was coming from. He felt irritated towards lord Eames, that much was true, but somehow, after the performance, after those minutes of anguish, Arthur wanted something more from him, he wanted to be clear, he wanted to make sure this man turned around and walked out of his life once and for all.

“I… I am sorry, Arthur, I just…”, he coughed, trying to clear his voice, “I don’t want to make you feel umconfortable. Saito made me aware that the gift I gave you the last time was inadequate and that you probably just accepted it because you felt pressured, so I decided to look for something else”.

To Arthur dismay, Lord Eames had for him yet another gift. He just wanted to walk away and leave him there but he couldn’t do just that, so he stayed where he was until he stopped looking inside his pockets and presented a silky pouch he offered to Arthur. Arthur took a deep breath, in which anyone could have pointed his exasperation, and opened it. Inside, he found a gorgeously craved jade bracelet, so beautiful he had to actively resist his impulse to just slide it down his wrist. It was beautiful, and if anyone else that weren’t Lord Eames had gifted it to him, Arthur would have gladly accepted it.

“Do you like it, dear?”.

Arthur put the bracelet back inside the pouch and handed it back to Lord Eames. Before he could ask anything, Arthur decided, there and then, that as a geisha this was where he reached his limit.

“I don’t want to owe you anything, Lord Eames”.

“But, Arthur…”

“I don’t need you to give me gifts. I don’t need your presence to feel secure or your notes and messages to know I will give a good performance. Your words are empty to me, my Lord. Please, I will continue my duties as a geisha to you as I do with anyone I work with, but don’t ask for more, you won’t get any from me”.

Lord Eames took the pouch back from Arthur’s hands and stood still while the young maiko bowed to him again and continued his path towards his family.

.

.

.

To Arthur’s surprise, Lord Eames didn’t leave the teahouse after being rejected. In fact, he looked just fine, greeting everyone, chatting and smiling, telling Saito san about his travels and trying to convince him to visit good old England someday.

Somehow, Lord Eames had ended up in the same table as him, being Saito’s friend, and Saito being Dom’s friend. Robert exchanged a look with Arthur but didn’t say anything. Mal and Dom seemed pleased to finally met famous Lord Eames, and soon, the foreigner and Mal were trying to out-charm the other. Both of them being witty, smooth-talking and beautiful in their own right, it was extremely interesting seeing them chatting with knowing smiles, telling each other jokes, bickering and, Arthur was sure, exchanging innuendos in front of everyone. Arthur felt scandalized, but seeing Dom choking with laughter every time this happened, he had to stop for a moment and make sure he wasn’t making just one colossally big deal out of nothing.

Finally, after yet another joke that delighted everyone around the table except for Arthur, Mal was looking deep into Eames’ eyes.

“Dear, would you allow me…” she pressed his fingers below Eames’ chin, making him lift his face up a little, “oh, of course…”

“What do you see, Mal?” Dom asked, looking at Eames’ eyes from over his wife’s shoulder.

“Look at him, my love, do you see what I see? Air. So much air, and… I think I see a little water in there too…”

“Yeah, I see…” Dom smiled, and for the first time since Arthur knew him, Lord Eames seemed genuinely concerned by something.

“Is anything wrong…?”

“No, no, of course not”, Mal let go of his face and leaned back a little, her voice remaining deep and thoughtful, “is just, you have so much air in your soul. It means you are restless and adaptable, you are always looking for movement and knowledge, and adventure. But it also means that you are persistent. You may not be able to destroy a wall, but you will try to wear it out until it recedes. I think I understand now why you are here”.

Lord Eames’ smile disappeared from his face, just a moment, just to be replaced seconds later for a grin while he stood up and excused himself.

“I had a long journey to come back here, I hope you can forgive me but I need to sleep for a few hours, maybe days if no one needs me,”, he said, exaggerating the tired tone on his voice. Arthur was expecting some last moment praise, endearment or overly enthusiastic remark towards him, but, much to his surprise, Lord Eames just bowed, smiled, and left.

Seconds later, Arthur saw him sliding the bracelet down the wrist of a random geisha that was receiving people at the gates. She was astonished, and while Eames disappeared in the night, the girl didn’t seem to stop smiling, and Arthur experienced a feel of loss that he wouldn’t be able to explain, even if he tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, Arthur is being an idiot but I promise I have a good explanation for his reactions.  
I think.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. The ekubo cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur faces consequences. He doesn't learn from his actions.  
Eames remains confused and angered.

The next day, Dom, Mal, Arthur and Robert were having tea, plotting about the next steps of Arthur’s debut as a proper geisha. It was an inevitability that everything went back to last night. Arthur’s performance had been an absolute success, and he had attracted the attention of many people – potential bidders for his mizuage and future protectors.

“So, this Lord Eames”, Mal said with a smile, “he was not as bad as you and Robert made him seem when you talked us about him. He is the most charming man I’ve met in years, and if he is as powerful as Saito san says, then, Arthur, you are very fortunate that he has taken interest in you ”.

Arthur felt a little hollow at that.

“Yes, you shouldn’t discard him as an ally”, Dom agreed, “maybe we should consider him as a bidder for your mizuage after all…”

“I’m afraid that will not be possible now”, Arthur interrupted, trying to keep calm as much as he could, most of all when all eyes went to him.

“What are you talking about?” Robert asked, with a little look of alarm on his face.

“I… I rejected him, last night, before he joined us in the teahouse. That’s why he wasn’t as scandalous towards me as before. I had already made sure that he wouldn’t do it anymore”. 

Arthur didn’t have to raise his eyes to know what everyone around the table looked like right at thtat moment.

“Well…”, Mal took the cup of tea to her lips, “you must have had a very good reason to do that, had you, Arthur?”.

“He gave me a jade bracelet but I didn’t want to accept it”.

Beside him, Robert snorted, surprising him.

“The same bracelet he put on the wrist of a random geisha minutes later?”, Arthur didn’t answer. Robert seemed so tense, he knew he should not say anything, “you wasted what was probably one of the best chances you had to gain a protector. If Lord Eames is spiteful enough, he may talk badly of us to Saito san, and we will lose his protection too. Is that what you wanted?”.

Robert raised from the table and left the room, followed by his servant. Arthur took a deep breath. Dom and Mal were silent.

“You told me to be careful with him”, he said finally, to no one in particular.

“We didn’t mean you to cut him off completely”.

With this, Mal and Dom left too, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts.

.

.

.

That afternoon he visited Robert for their weekly practices of music, dance and Tea Ceremony.

It was a rainy day and he had to be careful while he walked the streets made of stone. Being a maiko, he didn’t have a personal servant so he had to cover himself with his umbrella at the same time he picked up the edge of his kimono to protect it from the puddles. When he arrived at Robert’s house, a servant helped him with his umbrella and his wet shoes and gave him shoes to be inside the house. Robert was waiting for him in front of the table were the service for tea was ready, so Arthur just had to come over and serve a cup for both of them.

“Lower your head”.

“What?”

Robert was looking somewhere else, his expression bored and uninterested.

“I said lower your head. Remember when you serve tea you are doing it for your superior. You are not allowed to look up unless I say so”.

Arthur was confused. This was the kind of thing he had done time and time again without being corrected, and now Robert had done it as if Arthur was a child who was learning from scratch.

“You open your elbows too much when you serve the tea and bend your back like a beggar. You used too much setting powder and the rain ruined it. Your hair is all spongy…”

“Robert…”

“Your hands are dry. Your lips are chapped and I can see your wrists from here. Not the most appropriate of displays”.

“Robert…”

“No wonder Lord Eames kept confusing you with a whore”.

“Robert!”

Robert looked at him finally and Arthur tried his best to keep himself from showing that he was about to lose control and snap at him. He had only done it once. It hadn’t ended nicely.

“You are not perfect, Arthur”, Robert said, his eyes cold and unforgiving, “I need you to understand that. You can’t risk your future on a whim, not yet, you are not ready for that kind of bet”.

“Then…?” he asked, when he thought that he had finally understood what was all of this about, “what should I do? How was I supposed to deal with him if all of you told me to be careful and to keep myself away from him?”

“You need to find balance, Arthur”, Robert replied, “so this won’t happen ever again. I’ve always told you to be mysterious, to keep making men trying to please you, to take advantage of what you have. But you can’t go and just reject someone who is interested just because you don’t know how to deal with him. I know you don’t like Lord Eames but you needed to evaluate his influence and power before what you did”.

Arthur corrected his posture, moved his elbows closer to his body and adjusted his sleeves before serving the tea.

“What should I do now?”

“Pray that Lord Eames hasn’t taken offense and attributes your rejection to your moody disposition. In the best of scenarios, he will be as affectionate and annoying as ever the next time you see him”.

“And the worst…?”

“As I told you in the morning, my worst fear is that Saito san will be offended if Lord Eames tells him what happened. Businessmen need to have good relationships with their colleagues. Geishas they can find as many as they need. We are accessories. Partners as rich and powerful as Saito san frequents are scarce”, Robert lowered his head, and Arthur felt even more guilty now, “he could decide not to favor us anymore ant that will be it. You understand now, Arthur?”.

Arthur nodded, and they both silently decided to let it rest.

.

.

.

At least, Arthur could have the satisfaction that Robert was mistaken, for nothing of what he had predicted actually happened.

Lord Eames didn’t seem to have told anything regarding Arthur to Saito san, and soon, him and Robert were required to attend one of his parties. Saito seemed as happy as ever to greet them, and Lord Eames was there, but he didn’t rush to Arthur’s side as soon as he saw him, nor gave him a heartfelt pet name or one of his exaggerated compliments, even as Arthur was wearing one of his most beautiful kimono and so little make up that every man he crossed on his path there had done a double take, no doubt imagining the beautiful skin hidden behind the white, almost transparent veil.

As any other of the guests that night, Lord Eames only really paid attention to Robert and Arthur when they did something to entertain them as telling a joke or dancing.

Arthur’s heart was pounding in his ears as he approached Lord Eames to refill his cup with sake, when he noticed another maiko already taking care of that.

He stopped, startled for a moment, as he saw the jade bracelet on her wrist and the secret smile she gifted Lord Eames with. Almost immediately, he felt a hot sting on his stomach when he realized he was responding in kind, lifting his cup to her and smiling brightly.

“It looks beautiful in you, petal”.

It was a whisper, but it was enough for Arthur. He tried to ignore them, he tried to pretend it didn’t matter, but somehow, it did.

Somehow, it had hurt.

…

Arthur grow even more irritated when he realized that same maiko seemed to be anywhere Lord Eames was. It was ridiculous to do such an affirmation when he only saw her from time to time, but he always saw her whenever he was in one of Saito san’s parties so it couldn’t be a coincidence. Her name was Sayoko, and she was from a lowly okiya that could never compare to the Cobb’s, but she was beautiful, talented and graceful. Seeing her, Arthur understood a little more why Robert was so mortified by his actions towards Lord Eames.

Well, who was he to judge another maiko for trying to secure her future, right? He soon realized that her big sister must have been arranging everything, for she was always observing carefully over her and her interactions with Lord Eames. Maybe they had attributed the bracelet as a sign that he had seen something in Sayoko, and now were trying to keep his interest. Arthur wondered how much they would be bribing the owners of the teahouse with to be let into Saito san’s parties, but they didn’t seem to be in position to be doing such an investment.

Arthur convinced himself he had nothing to worry about. He knew he didn’t need to do much more than to sit next to Lord Eames, serve him tea, and in the most desperate of cases, gift him with a smile to guarantee he had always hold his attention. Lord Eames was still interested in him, no, he was enamored with him, enough not to care about anything else as soon as Arthur decided to leash him back to him.

He knew he was being arrogant, but he was sure that it was true.

Everything seemed fine, until one night that Lord Eames announced he wanted to take a walk and soon he had both geishas on each side, a big smile on his face, looking at Sayoko all the time and not bothering to spare a look to Arthur, even when the young maiko was sitting beside him about to serve him tea.

.

.

.

It was the time for Arthur to begin the preparation for his mizuage. The most important thing he had to do was to give the possible bidders an ekubo cake, a kind of sweet rice cake Robert had commissioned for him in advance and arranged in little wooden boxes that served to announce he was coming of age and becoming a geisha. He needed to hand them to his prospects carefully and discretely, for this was a delicate matter, but men who frequented the company of geishas were aware and prepared to act gracefully in the face of such an invitation.

One of the ekubo was going to be given to a doctor who was known for his involvement in the district, and his liking for young maiko just like Arthur. He gave away large sums of money whenever he could to be a mizuage patron and, while Arthur felt repulsed by him, he had to acknowledge that it was a good option, moneywise. Another of the ekubo was going to one of Saito san’s partners. He was about Saito’s age, but unlike Saito, he was not very good looking and really boring. But he had been infatuated with Arthur since he met him, too shy to show it, and rumor said he was ready to pay out any sum he needed to have Arthur on his bed if just for one night. Arthur thought that it couldn’t be so bad.

There were another two or three options, but these two men were the clearest candidates to engage in a bid war that may make Arhur one of the best geishas at Gion just with the selling of his mizuage.

Nobody had told Arhtur that he couldn’t find a bidder himself.

Fed up with the feeling of humiliation that some next door maiko had stolen him from an admirer as powerful as Lord Eames, Arthur decided that he must take matters on his own hands and finally reassure his place.

.

.

.

That night, he and Robert where at a teahouse. They weren’t with Lord Saito that night, so seeing Lord Eames among the guests surprised Arthur, but not enough to keep him from putting his plan into motion.

He had one of the ekubo cakes hidden into his long sleeve, and he had been careful so Robert wouldn’t notice that he was not going to give it to one of the prospects he had thought up that night.

Instead, Arthur made his way to Lord Eames and kneeled beside him under the pretense to fill his cup with sake. Lord Eames didn’t look at him, but Arthur didn’t let that discourage him. Instead, he moved the cup closer to Lord Eames at the same time he passed the ekubo cake under the table, close to where his hands were resting against his thighs. Lord Eames seemed surprised, and for the first time in two or three weeks, he looked Arthur in the eye.

“Darling”, he breathed and felt silent for a moment, before a look of understanding fell on his face, “oh darling, I’m sorry if you felt like you had to give me a gift, but I wasn’t mad, I was just acting childish, you shouldn’t have…”

To Arthur’s horror, he lifted the box to examine it better, and everyone in the room felt silent, no doubt understanding the situation much better than Lord Eames at that moment.

“This is beautiful, sweetheart, what is it?”

The idiot! The stupid, brute moron!

Arthur knew everyone could see the deep hue of red his face had. He felt white noise on his ears as he stood up and rushed to the closest door, running to the cold of night, trying to get a breath of fresh air.

He knew what was expecting him. Robert would be as humiliated as him. He would be seen as a prostitute, offering himself off as if it was nothing. This was supposed to be discreet and clean, almost secret, and now everyone in the teahouse knew that he was offering his virginity to some ridiculous foreigner that didn’t seem to understand anything…

“Arthur…pet…” Arthur immediately tensed at the steps behind him. He was in the middle of the garden outside the teahouse, were the lamps where already glowing and some people walking here and there. Arthur didn’t turn around, hoping Lord Eames would understand and leave him alone, for Arthur feared that if he was to reject him himself again he would, somehow, make everything worse.

“Oh love, Robert explained me everything. I am sorry, I wasn’t careful…”

Arthur tried to relax, even when the steps came closer and closer to him.

“I… I never thought you would offer me such an opportunity, darling. But I would have wished our first time to be an act of love and not a business transaction”.

“Wha –“

But before he could ask what Lord Eames was talking about, he felt his warm breath against his nape, and right at the same place, Lord Eames’ full, smooth and moist lips pressing a kiss on his skin, kiss that traveled up his neck until he could purr his next words right into Arthur’s ear, sending chills down his spine:

“I want you so much, darling. You don’t know what it does to me knowing that you want me too…”

Arthur almost growled. He spun around, making Lord Eames almost lose his balance, and shove him away from him with both hands looking him in the eye like an angry beast.

“You are an idiot!”, he hissed at Lord Eames then, unafraid of consequences, “why would I want someone as thick headed and ignorant as you? I was just trying to secure my place in this district, no more”.

Lord Eames’ face went hard as stone.

“You keep saying those things as if I should be grateful that you like me! I have news for you, Lord Eames, I feel nothing but disgust to think of you! Leave me alone! You have given me nothing but trouble since I met you!”

When Arthur could take a deep breath and look at him, Lord Eames seemed… bored. Unimpressed.

“So you’re done, playing with me now, Arthur? You don’t like me when I try to woo you with my attention, but you also act so jealous when I decide to leave you alone and try to distract myself with someone else. Whatever is it that you want, Arthur, it’s ok, don’t worry about me ruining your plans, I assure you I won’t think of you anymore”.

After this, he took Arthur’s hand and put the ekubo cake there. He left the teahouse without saying goodbye to his hosts.

When Arthur saw Robert watching the scene from the door, Arthur knew he was probably in for the worst punishment of his whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!


	5. The fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur's mizuage is sold, and his life changes (yet again) forever.

Robert abstained from talking to him more than was strictly necessary for the next couple of weeks. Other than that, he took time to explain to Arthur what was going to happen when his mizuage was sold and he had to be with a man for the first time.

Robert had illustrated everything with detail and without drama. Arthur had already had an idea of how he had to prepare and what to expect, but with his older brother’s clinical explanation he was firstly, convinced that it was not something as horrible or as wonderful as everyone seemed to think. No different from performing for an audience, except that, in this case, the audience was going to be just one man and said performance was going to involve some parts of his body that he had never considered.

At first, Robert had thought that everything that had happened between Arthur and Lord Eames would make difficult for him to promote Arthur’s mizuage among possible bidders. But after some well placed bribes and a long talk with Saito-san, Robert made sure that the witnesses would remain silent and that Lord Eames wasn’t spreading rumours or talking bad about Arthur.

Lord Eames was, in fact, in another of his multiple travels across the world and would not be back until months later. Robert was almost too relieved to know that.

…

Arthur’s mizuage was officially sold three weeks later. He would probably remember that afternoon forever, almost as if he had been looking the scene from afar: he sitting on the external corridor facing the garden and the well, waiting for Robert to call his name. Ariadne was sitting beside him playing her samisen, brushing the strings with the point of her fingers, trying to keep the sound soothing for him and, at the same time, low enough that both of them could hear at least something from inside the house.

Robert had been since early morning on the phone, making calls back and forth, acting like a mediator between the bidders. There had been four at the beginning. At noon, one of them decided to quit. The other one had quit an hour later. Arthur had figured this wasn’t going to last much more when he was called from Cobb’s office.

There, Mal and Dom were sitting together, Mal’s hand on his husband’s arm, both had their faces contorted in an expression that Arthur couldn’t define. They looked like they were expecting something. Years later, when Arthur had the opportunity to remember this scene and think about it with detail, he would marvel at their synchrony, the way they could read each other with simple gestures, looking in each other’s eyes and not saying a word at all.

Robert was standing next to the phone, with a sheet of paper in which he had been keeping track of the amounts given by the bidders.

“Congratulations, Arthur”, Robert said, relief and triumph evident in his smile, “you will be able to pay ninety percent of your debt with the selling of your mizuage”.

Arthur’s mouth gaped in surprise.

“Is that true?”

Now, Dom and Mal were smiling openly at him, excited. They were good people. They were genuinely happy for him.

.

.

.

He was prepared. The only thing he had to do was to lay down, be graceful and try to be responsive. If couldn’t be, he at least he had to restrain from showing any discomfort.

His mizuage had been sold to an relatively unknown merchand who, as it seemed, had known Arthur for a good time and was interested in him enough to offer more than even one of Saito’s colleage was able to give.

Arthur was taken to a private room inside one of the most important teahouses of Gion. His attire for the occasion was a simple grey robe, as little make up as possible, and sandals.

They drank tea. They went to bed.

.

.

.

The main event was nothing of what Arthur had anticipated. It was interesting and horrible, overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. His heart beat fast and hard, his body felt heavy and unresponsive. He stayed there, he let it pass and when it ended, Arthur just kept a thought in mind: he was a complete geisha now. His life had just begun. He still had so many things to do.

…

That night, when he was finally back at the okiya, the Cobbs received him with worry and kindness. Dom sat at his side while Mal fed him, and they both asked him how everything had gone.

Arthur ate (he hadn’t had time or stomach for that earlier) and sipped at his tea, and answered questions as good as he could.

Finally, they let him go to sleep. Arthur evaded Ariadne’s questions, alluding to be deeply tired, and finally fell into bed trying to resist the urge that he felt in his body that tried to drag him out of bed, to throw himself at the pond and srcrub his skin with the rounded stones by the edge, to help him stop feeling the hands of that stranger all over his skin.

.

.

.

Life as a geisha was not different from what it was when Arthur was a maiko. He still went around the district in the company of Robert, attending parties and tea ceremonies, just a couple of them for each night, to keep their reputations as wanted, renowned geishas. He still danced and played his shamisen, the difference was that now he could do some of his activities alone if he deemed it necessary, and he wasn’t subject to Robert’s orders or advices anymore. Arthur had always had his own ideas and when those crashed with Robert’s, he always felt trapped, since his own opinions would always be less worthy than those of his older brother.

Arthur still attended school at least three times a week; there were always details to improve and he had to keep himself updated on dances and songs to entertain his clients. A geisha’s training never really ended, and Arthur liked to learn everything he could.

If everything went as he wanted, he would only need about two more years of work to completely pay his debt to the Cobb’s, and maybe another year to have enough money to live independently. Maybe, he could get a danna who would gift him with kimonos or jewels. That would be more than enough to cement his future.

Everything seemed to be workin up for Arthur.

.

.

.

The next time he saw Lord Eames, it was three months after his mizuage. He and Robert were accompanying Saito-san to a gallery. His favorite artist had an exhibition and he was the guest of honor, along with whoever he wished to invite. The travel to the city was short and uneventful, until Lord Saito commented that Lord Eames was going to be there as well.

It seemed that the Englishman had been trying to improve his understanding of their culture. He had learned their idiom very fast, and even if his accent was weird, people seemed to find It charming.

Arthur tried to prepare for anything that could happen when he’d saw him again. He was prepared for rage, for awkwardness, for forgivness. He was prepared for a scowl, and for a smile.

What he was not prepared for, was for the sweet consideration, for the “come this way, darling”, “you look lovely this night”, and the “what do you think about this piece? Should I acquire it?” that Lord Eames kept directing at him, as if he was not Arthur, who he had already known, but any other geisha he was just meeting and enjoying their company.

Finally, Lord Eames left with a lovely sculpture of a dancer and having commissioned the artist with a complementary piece “to keep this lovely young man company, we don’t want him to waste away all alone, don’t you agree, my dear?”

After they exchanged their goodbyes and Saito congratulated him for his acquisition, Lord Eames directed a look at Arthur.

“I see you finally got what you wanted, darling. You are not an apprentice anymore”, Arthur inhaled deeply, suddenly aware of the fact that Lord Eames understood more than what he left everyone see, “those colours you’re wearing, they’re more elegant. More like you”.

With this, Lord Eames left the gallery. When Arthur turned to see if Saito san and Robert had witnessed the exchange, but they seemed to be absorbed in their own conversation. When he was near Lord Saito, Robert didn’t seem to be aware of anything else. Maybe that was for the best.

.

.

.

There was a thought nagging at Arthur’s conscience. He knew, he was completely aware of the fact that he was no longer a virgin. For some reason, he could not shake the thought that now, Lord Eames was aware of that too.

He tried to feign that he didn’t feel uncomfortable with that knowledge. That he knew that his worth was not determined by the “purity” of his body.

.

.

.

Maybe Arthur could have forgotten everything that happened before he was officialy a geisha, even the day of his mizuage. Life was going smoothly in the direction he had always wanted: he was a popular geisha, he made as much money as Robert did in one night, and he was looking forward to help with Ariadne’s training when the moment came.

That was until the moment his worst nightmares came true.

He woke up to his name being shouted by Mal’s trembling voice, the wooden panels of his room burning fast.

They made it out of the okija on time. Mallorie and her children intact, Dom with his hands burned, Ariadne with a twisted ankle and Arthur with a terrible headache produced by the smoke, having gone back to help Ariadne come out after she had tripped on the stairs.

The fire was controlled. But half of the okiya was gone.

And Arthur’s future was, once again, taken from his hands when everything had seemed to be going good for him.

He wanted to shout, he wanted to cry. He just stood there, frozen into place, until Robert arrived and took him, Ariadne, Mal and the kids to his home, before coming back to see what he could do to help Cobb.

Arthur couldn’t sleep that night, and to be honest, he wasn’t sure that sleep would have helped him, at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story please let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> I must have the next chapter in a week or so.
> 
> If you liked it, please let me know!!


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